- Rory McIlroy was indignant last week after Saturday’s round of the Ryder Cup
- And Fred Couples has shed some light on the controversial situation
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Rory McIlroy’s angry row with Joe LaCava at the Ryder Cup started when the caddy told him to ‘relax’, Fred Couples has revealed.
Couple, the U.S. vice-captain, was speaking on his SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio show when he recounted what McIlroy and LaCava said to each other on the 18th green in Rome.
“I asked (LaCava) what was said. He said Rory looked at him and said, “Mooove.” And he made sure the ‘ooo’ lasted a little longer. And Joe replied, “Relax, Rory,” Couples said.
McIlroy and his teammates were outraged when LaCava, Patrick Cantlay’s caddy, celebrated for the Northern Irishman and came into his line of sight as he prepared for a crucial putt.
However, Couples said, “I want someone to tell me where everything that happened is disrespectful. I have not seen it. Patrick shouted, which he doesn’t do very often, and tapped his fake cap.
Rory McIlroy had an argument with Patrick Cantlay’s caddy Joe LaCava on the 18th hole
McIlroy then went on an angry tirade as he left Marco Simeone the same day
“We were all standing at the front of the green,” Couples said. ‘No one moved. We just took off our hats and made little circles with our hats.”
“Joe LaCava was standing (on the green). I don’t think he moved a meter. People think he was silencing Rory when he made that hand gesture,” Couples continued.
“Little Harry Diamond, who we all love too, is caddying for Rory, and then he intervened. So Joe said, “I don’t have time for you.”
McIlroy’s teammates Shane Lowry and Justin Rose, who gathered to watch, also spoke with LaCava.
Shane Lowry and Fred Couples speak on the 18th green during Saturday’s Ryder Cup
Tensions later spilled over into the parking lot, when a furious McIlroy was heard shouting, “This can’t be happening, this can’t be happening – it’s a damn shame” at LaCava as a security guard was forced out. before teammate Shane Lowry led him to a waiting BMW 4×4.
Another American caddie, Jim ‘Bones’ Mackay, appeared to try to diffuse the situation before a security guard tried to intervene. Irishman Lowry then intervened and led a still seething McIlroy to the vehicle.
Fans had mocked Cantlay throughout the round by waving their hats in the air after an earlier report claimed he was not wearing a cap as a form of protest over not being paid to compete in the tournament – something he later denied .
